Destiny 2: The Story So Far

There are no new enemy species in Destiny 2. We still have the Fallen, Cabal, Vex and Hive, which are all returning from the Destiny 1 era. From a story perspective, how do you make enemies players have fought so many times over the past three years feel fresh?

The Last City isn’t the only thing out there. One of my first memories of Destiny is one of the story missions, the name of which escapes me at the moment. In this particular mission, after activating some beacons, your Ghost makes the comment of things deeper out in the universe, things unseen and ancient. While this may have been a reference to Crota at the time or even Oryx, it still felt as if Bungie was hinting at a lot up its sleeve. When really digging into the Destiny Grimoire or even just playing the game, it’s obvious humans expanded across the stars at rapid pace. Destiny 2 is following in suit, with the three new locations Titan, Nessas and Io they couldn’t be digging the heels more into lore. These are spaces that will show off how humanity took control of their…Destiny. The Traveler brought with it the Golden Age and Destiny 2 seems to want to show just what that means.

House of Wolves is almost completely avoidable as it mainly sets up a wave-based cooperative experience. Here, the Fallen leader of the House of Wolves, Kell Skolas, breaks out of jail and sets forth plans to attack the Last City. The Queen requests you capture him and throw him back in his cell. Skolas has beef with the Queen as The Wolves and the Reef did battle at some point, at least until Variks, the current Warden of the Prison of Elders, switched sides and betrayed his Fallen brothers. You catch him and put him back where he belongs.

We’re not bringing back any of the old weapons and Exotic armor reworks because all that stuff is turned to ash and dust by the Cabal. That’s one of the great things about Destiny 2. It enables us to create a brand-new tale with a fresh start for every single player. Whether you’re someone who looked at Destiny from afar, feeling like you couldn’t jump into the world or feeling like you’ve been left behind, or whether you’re a veteran player with 100% completion in your record book, you are all joining this new adventure on equal footing. You will be attacked in the same moment. You will all lose the things that your Guardian holds dear. You will all need to go out into the wild and rebuild from the ground up.

To complete the more challenging co-op activities in Destiny 2, you’re going to need a fireteam. Bungie is making it easier than ever to find people to play with people online with Clans and Guided Games. Joining a clan will make it easier to find buddies to form your fireteam and take on all the baddies in Destiny 2.

Where does this leave Leviathan then? Answer: Not in a good place. Out of all Destiny raids this might be the least fun yet. With plans of still completing it, now having joined a Clan I feel confident in, especially when it comes to gaming positivity I know it can be done. What sucks is the time, emotional energy and all feelings that get rolled into trying to complete this raid. Once I do finish it, that’s it, it will never be attempted again, because it’s just not worth it. Bungie stated they wanted to create a raid that would draw more people in to the ultimate end game content, Leviathan is anything but inviting, even if Calaus is literally inviting you on to his opulent ship. It's hands down the most deterring raid every created for Destiny. Which is why Bungie's messaging on what this raid was going to be could have been a bit clearer. Why say it’s going to be inviting when also saying it’s going to be the most challenging raid ever? That’s just an oxymoron. Who is this raid made for? The ultimate Guardians (streamers) that Bungie knows will complete it or the players they say they want to join in the end game content? The messaging is mixed and muddled with leaving little hope for the future of end game content.

What does relationship mean for lore though? Of course, the actual relationship aspect of Destiny is there, but it’s always been there. Destiny 2 is not only creating worlds, though, it’s actually telling stories within those worlds. The people that inhabit these spaces are important and Bungie seems to be doing everything to make the player care about them. From the looks of interaction with those around you while traversing the many environments Destiny 2 has to offer, the aspect of relationship is everywhere. Zavala giving command to the player and other NPCs around him. It creates a sense of urgency immediately invoking a compassion that only comes from feeling connected to others. Then there is the EDZ a new area for players to call home. The people they were protecting have started forming communities here. Actively participating in these places will create a more grounded sense of community. It’s the reason WoW cities felt so lived in; the people that inhabit these spaces are going about their daily lives. It isn’t about, go out, kill aliens, return. It feels like being the Pavlovian dog waiting for the treat. None of that seems to be in Destiny 2.